Year-round skiing in the Pacific Northwest is possible due to the combination of a typically deep and long-lasting snow pack with permanent snowfields and glaciers on the Cascade volcanoes. Summer backcountry skiing, be it telemark or randonee, and snowboarding on the snowfields of Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood can be positively enjoyable. A number of skiers have discovered this truth, and now ski year-round (defined as at least one ski trip in each month of the year). Many of these skiers have consecutive months of skiing streaks which have passed 100 months, and one skier is now over 300 consecutive months (that's more than 25 years!). Although most of these skiers are from Washington, skiers in Oregon, Montana, Colorado, California, and British Columbia are also maintaining ski streaks.
This page has been created to honor the achievements of year-round skiers, both those with active skiing streaks and those who have retired. The intent is not to set up a competition (after all, how is one to catch up with a skier who has a longer active streak - go out and break their legs?). Skiers differ in how they got started skiing year-round, the criteria they use for what passes as a countable ski trip, how they manage to keep skiing through the low snow season, and the equipment they use, and it can be interesting to read about these. No attempt has been made to verify the information presented here. The skiers are listed in a rotating order.Consecutive months numbers are current as of November 24, 2012

Skier: Chris Cass
Consecutive months streak: 109Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: Primarily caved-in to peer pressure from fellow skiers Kam and Skip who also introduced me to the turns-all-year website.Skier: Lee Christian
Consecutive months streak: 214Home: ColoradoView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: Seemed like the thing to do. My friends and I did it on a whim and as the streak kept going...Skier: Bradley Cook
Consecutive months streak: 158Home: OregonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: A friend of mine Dan Nicholson got me into this, who like myself, is a year round ski bum. His streak is in the 160's. I love to hike and ski year round and I wanted my ability and skills to go to the next level.Skier: Keith Dawley
Consecutive months streak: 216Home: CaliforniaView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: On Labor Day in 1995 I went skiing up on the Mammoth Crest with some friends. We went up there because there was still a lot of snow that year and the skiing was really good. We realized that we had all skied a full year by skiing at least one day each month. October came with fresh powder and the next year just rolled into the last one. We all kept it going for a few years but people dropped off one by one for different reasons. After awhile I found myself going back to the same spot on the Crest, solo. Not so much to keep the streak alive, but just to go out in the woods and do something I enjoy. My dog died, I went on some long bike tours, I got married, got a good job, bought some property, got another dog and still managed to keep skiing. It think it keeps me young.Skier: Jim "jaydee" Drannan
Consecutive months streak: 105 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: While hiking at Paradise in June 1989 I saw some skiers skiing below Pan Point. I thought it would be neat for me to ski on the Fourth of July. It didn't happen but my streak started in November '89 at Paradise on Mt. Rainier. While on my July 4th ski in 1990 I thought to myself "This was easy, I wonder if I can string 12 months together?". I did and the rest is history.Skier: Charles Eldridge
Consecutive months streak: 128 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I think the seed was planted about 10 years ago by reading an article in a skiing magazine while waiting at the doctor's office; the article described getting in August's turns in Colorado by means of a very long hike to a very short (200vf) run. I wasn't exactly inspired by the story, but the idea must have taken root deep in my brain. I actually got started on the consecutive months idea in the summer of 1997, with the big '96-'97 snowpack, as I realized while skiing great snow, in just-opened areas of Mt. Rainier in August, that September might be the only difficult month. I was really suckered into the idea when mid-September brought big snows to the Muir snowfield, and I found fantastic skiing in great weather all the way down to Pebble Creek in September and October.Skier: Bill Frans
Consecutive months streak: 227Home: WashingtonView full profileHow I got started skiing year-round: I remember reading an article in a no-longer published magazine called "Free Snow" about an informal 12-months per year ski club. I thought why not. So, one early November in 1993, I headed up to Paradise to begin an endless season of skiing.Skier: Gordon Garlock
Consecutive months streak: 365Home: OregonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I got started skiing year-round because I became a member of the Timberline Ski School staff. It was easy to take advantage of the year round skiing that Mt. Hood offers.Skier: Randy Goins
Consecutive months streak: 165 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: Many years ago Skiing Magazine had an article regarding year round skiing. As I had just done a ski demo day at Hood and I was turning 50 I decided I could try that. At the end of one year I figured that wasn't so tough so I kept doing it. Having kept the streak alive thru surgery on the knee and abdomin the goal now is 120 months.Skier: Jonas Grenz
Consecutive months streak: 154Home: MontanaView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: Since I was 10 years old I had always wanted to ski 12 months in a row. I went to New Zealand for a college exchange and it all started there. Pretty Sweet.Skier: Mark Harfenist
Consecutive months streak: 55 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: As yet, I remain unconvinced I've really got a streak going. I'm not particularly trying to have a streak; I just enjoy being in the mountains at every opportunity, and I know of no better way to experience mountainous places than to ski them (interspersed, of course, with plowing deep furrows in the snow with my face, or sculpting discontinuous patterns of craters by cartwheeling rapidly down steep slopes).Skier: Ben Hatchett
Consecutive months streak: 108Home: CaliforniaView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: The moment skis were attached to my feet, it was all over, or, should I say, it all began!Skier: Steve Henderson
Consecutive months streak: 145Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I found myself consistently skiing from October to July and figured I should just do August & September. I had a couple other 12 month streaks before my current streak really stuck. :) Now it's been going on for too long to let it end. My goal is 120 months, but I think that's an initial goal, I'm sure it will change (grow).Skier: Brent Hostetler
Consecutive months streak: 47 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I heard of others doing it, and the idea struck me. After several years of skiing from October through July it occurred to me it wouldn't be much of a reach. So, why not?Skier: Jeff Huber
Consecutive months streak: 207Home: OregonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I got started by reading *this* website (turns-all-year.com). The TRs here showed me I could enjoy skiing every month of the year. I moved from California to Portland in 2001 but didn't spend my first full year here until 2003. I considered trying to go year-round in the Summer of 2003, then in the Summer of 2004 I finally started what I hope to be a multi decade streak.Skier: Jason Hummel
Consecutive months streak: 168Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: There was never a plan. For me skiing was something I did and as it turned out in 1998 it was something I did all year.Skier: Josh Hummel
Consecutive months streak: 168Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: With the combined imagination and the occasional foolhardy impractical stupidity of Jason and I, and Troy and Ben Manfredi we could not but ski all 12 months of the year.Skier: Ron Jarvis
Consecutive months streak: 216Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: During the summer of 1991, I hiked to Camp Muir more times than I care to admit, attempting to get into some sort of shape for my first Rainier summit climb. Each weekend, while walking down from Muir, post holing and hyper-extending my knees, I would watch the skiers descending gracefully from Muir to Paradise (like, duh: what's wrong with this picture?). After that first climb I finally got smart enough to start accumulating some backcountry ski gear. I would go out and fall a lot, any time I could find someone to go with. Jeanette started hiking with our group that year while we were all still hiking and climbing a lot. Later many of us kind of gravitated to skiing with only a modicum of begging and whining on my part. A reliable partner for outdoor pursuits is a rarity and Jeanette turned out to be that rare gem that always showed when she said she would. In addition, she showed up with dogged regularity. With a reliable ski buddy a ski streak just kind of happens without much effort at all.Skier: Christy Kinney
Consecutive months streak: 84Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I started skiing year-round with good friends who introduced me to the backcountry. I haven't looked back since! It is always an adventure and there is always something to reminisce and laugh about later. I've heard that even those Suffer-fest's can be humorous-much, much later. More than just the skiing, the relationships I've formed and the spectacular backcountry I've eagerly explored has made the past 25 months worth every bump, bruise and lost toenail.Skier: Rick Knowles
Consecutive months streak: 119Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I had skied (Nordic and Alpine) on and off since early 70's, Alpine raced in High School (Minnesota), XC Raced in College (S. Dakota). Skiing is a physical education class in Minnesota- Nordic and Alpine- it's all fun- started at school in WWII Army surplus with Mo-Hair strips. Been Bicycling year round for a bunch of years after moving to Seattle. Got tired of long winter rides- partners not showing up- pretty much hating winter. A buddy I XC skied and snowboarded with was talking about Alpine Touring, down in Alpine mode and up in Nordic mode- hum interesting. Another buddy was interested too so we rented- skis too long, boots too clunky; but we had fun- fresh snow in November 2002- actually too deep for us. We went shopping the next day- were hooked.Skier: Rob Kunz
Consecutive months streak: 96 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profileHow I got started skiing year-round: I started backcountry skiing in the Spring as an adjunct to climbing and was thrilled to discover the great turns one could have in the Summer. For the first two or three years I wasn't intending to maintain a streak. I just loved skiing year round.Skier: Greg Lange
Consecutive months streak: 179Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: Innocently enough. I took my xc gear up to Blanca Lake, S.E. of Monte Cristo Basin on a hike in Nov., 97. My friend, Leo, and I blasted around for a few hours and went home. It didn't hit me that I was close to 1 year until the next May, when I tried to organize a tour to Goat Rocks, and none of my touring mates would commit. I then told my wife, "Let's go to Hood and Bachelor next weekend. If I can ski during the summer months, I can get 1 year of once-a-month skiing in." She's always up for a good road trip. Since then, the streak has taken on a life of it's own, bringing agony and ecstasy to my homefront, depending on how close to the end of the month it's getting to be. I've gotten to know where the hidden stashes are, however small and distant.Skier: Kam K. Leang
Consecutive months streak: 120Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: What got me started on this crazy habit of skiing year-round is my passion for skiing. I love to ski! But also what helped get the ball rolling was Charles' turns-all-year website and, of course, peer pressure from my good friend Skip Swenson -- we started our streaks in October 2002.Skier: Mark Lengel
Consecutive months streak: 110Home: Utah (land of the greatest miniature snow fields on Earth)View full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: During a trip to Aosta, Italy I wanted to see the North side of Matterhorn. I could either drive 4 hours to Zermatt or buy a 36 Euro lift ticket and take a series of trams & gondolas from Brueil Cervinia (South side of the Matterhorn) to the Zermatt summer glacier to get the same view. Unfortunately clouds shrouded the Matterhorn, however skiing in jeans, at-shirt and alpine rental gear in the midst of teenage euro ski team members full of attitude was priceless.Skier: Andy Martin
Consecutive months streak: 191Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: Must have been the Spring of 1996 when I met a guy hiking out to the Throne at Crystal on closing day. I was bemoaning the end of the ski season and he told me that the season was just beginning! I started by hiking Muir and Adams with full downhill gear, then progressed to renting a couple of times and finally bought my own setup.Skier: Eric McGrath
Consecutive months streak: 216Home: NevadaView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: In the winter of 1994/1995 I took a trip to Chamonix and met a Danish telemark skier. In August 1995 he and his Spanish girlfriend visited my wife and I at our home in Bishop, California. I typically skied into July every year in the Sierra because the snow and skiing is so good. During his visit I told him we could ski if he wanted to try the Sierra. Of all things we skied Bloody Couloir (a pretty severe shot near Mammoth Mountain) and luckily he stopped his slide for life. I had always wanted to ski every month of the year and having August under my belt I thought this would be the year. I completed the year, had a lot of fun and thought it was pretty cool. During the next winter I decided I would ski every month again and the streak has not stopped since. My son (Jackson, born 1990) is now at his 76th consecutive month. I can't imagine ever stopping. The streak assures I'll get out at least once a month to commune with nature and do my thing. I read in a magazine once there was a guy in Colorado who got 441 months in row mostly skiing St. Mary's Glacier, I guess it has established a goal for me. I record each of my ski days in a spreadsheet including the number of runs, the vertical feet skied, my ski mates, weather and snow conditions, and a brief description of highlights. I figure in my old age, I'll be able to read all the entries and hopefully remember most of my glory days gone by.Skier: Jackson McGrath
Consecutive months streak: 123Home: NevadaView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: My Dad asked me to go camping at a spot in Bridgeport, California. There is a glacier a few miles away that he skied. Ever since then we've gone there for dry months here in Reno. I was ten years old and I didn't think it was weird to go skiing in the summer because my Dad does it all the time. The glacier was big and intimidating but it really wasn't scary. I remember most hiking up it and thought it was cool to ski in the summer time. I didn't know I was starting a streak but I wanted to go again and that started the streak.Skier: Danny Miller
Consecutive months streak: 227Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I'm from the Niagara Falls Canada area, which is pretty flat (apart from the falls) so it just never occured to me to go skiing. Although my high school had a ski club, I was never quite sure where they went. The first time I ever skied was in 1989. I had just moved to the Seattle area, and somebody from my school who had come out with me who was a ski instructor back in Ontario, was very excited to be here, and dragged me to go skiing one day... "We're on the west coast! The skiing is awesome! Come on, let's go!" Well, I liked it OK. I skied 4-6 times that year, but then probably not at all for the next 2 years (I was back in Ontario during the winters). Then in 1991 I moved here for good, and skied up to a dozen times in the 92 and 93 seasons.
Then something snapped in my brain, and I decided I really loved skiing, so I skied 72 days spread out all year round in 1994, and haven't looked back. Since Thanksgiving 1993, I've skied 644 days (as of Mar. 7, 2004) over the past 125 months, without missing a month, and almost exclusively in the Pacific Northwest (no cheating by flying to South America or Australia). (Flexible hours at my job helps alot - I ski many weekday mornings). I'm very excited now to have reached the 10 year mark!
For the first day in my streak (although I didn't know it was at the time) I drove by myself for 13 hours to Banff, Alberta to ski Sunshine Village for the American Thanksgiving holiday with some friends. At the time I was just learning to ski black slopes. I've never learned as fast as some of my friends, so I decided to go for the sheer repetition method of learning to ski better.Skier: Kyle Miller
Consecutive months streak: 120Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: Really, it was a gradual progression and a bit of a coincidence. During the 2004 northern hemisphere's summer, traveled to New Zealand and spent the season down there. When I returned in October, there was already enough snow up in Washington to boot pack for turns. Finally, at the end of the 04/05 Season, I acquired my first splitboard. After that, it had to be turns all year; I never looked back!Skier: Jeanette Morrison
Consecutive months streak: 216Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: My friend and ski partner Ron Jarvis convinced me that backcountry skiing with Randonee ski equipment would be a great sport, no more walking down the snowfields, solitude in the mountains, wondrous adventures, and skiing all year. Some of which would turn out to be the best spring conditions and summer corn snow ever. That was 7 years ago. Mt. St. Helen was the first big trip with rented Randonee equipment, beautiful weather, a successful summit, and velvety corn skiing, a regular trip in between, and then an early May, Mt. Hood trip, with another successful summit and unbelievable skiing from the Hogsback to the Timberline Lodge. I was hooked, and also convinced that the weather and skiing would always be perfect, ran right out and purchased all the gear, which worked out well since some the rental fee applied to the purchase. I learned very quickly that first year, the weather is not always perfect, and the snow can be very challenging at times. For me, backcountry skiing has become an addiction of the best kind and worth the extra effort and challenge of finding the "perfect" late summer ski run.Skier: Erin Muths
Consecutive months streak: 185Home: ColoradoView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I found a job after graduate school in the same town that my friend from 6th grade - Lee - lives in. After a few months it just seemed like the thing to do and it makes for "shocking" and "avant garde" cocktail party conversation.Skier: Lara Pazemenas
Consecutive months streak: 135Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: Halloween 2000 was when I discovered the riches of my neighborhood. A neighbor, Greg Lange, and his barely 2 year-old son, Cedar, came over for Trick-or-Treating. Greg attempted to coerce Cedar into saying "trick or treat", but failed. Then, Greg pointed to a picture on the wall of me and a friend atop Mt. St. Helens with skis on our backs. Greg pointed and asked Cedar, "Cedar, what are those?" With a huge grin on his face, Cedar exclaimed, "skis!" It was then that I discovered the ski "streaker" in the neighborhood. The following August, Greg invited me to join him on a hike/ski near Heather Meadows. I had asked if I should bring my crampons with me. Greg didn't think we would need them. Well, as we crossed the snowfield (icefield) to be skied, I, of course, slipped. Down I went, passing over the ONLY rockband on the field. A bit bloody and in need of stitches, I decided to just ski from where I had stopped. Greg thought I would never go out with him again. I had done a few hike/climbs with skis on my back before, but this was the beginning of an adventure. August 2001 began my streak.Skier: Robie Pruden
Consecutive months streak: 68 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: One Spring, in fact the last day at Crystal Mt that year. I was setting on the Chair lift and casually remarked to an unknown skier "This sure is the shits, look at all this snow and today is the end". Well that turned out to be my lucky day cause this fellow replied "You don't have to quit just because the lifts do". He then explained to me what we all here know. So I went out and bought a pair of Dachstiens and Silveretta 404s and mounted them on a pair of Dynastar Verticals. Chinook pass here I come! Right here and now I would like to thank that unknown skier.Skier: Jim "Samminator" Sammet
Consecutive months streak: 18 (retired), 37 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I have no idea how the skiing year round thing got started but beer was probably involved and once it got started it took on life of its own requiring strategic planning of vacations an occasional sick day on the last day of the month. Truthfully it's a relief that my streaks are over because after a while its just too much pressure and the little voice in my head that was asking "why are you doing this" became too loud to ignore. But that said, another streak is in the works for me but with a finite end.
Two streaks: From 1995-1999, 37 months ended by an ACL injury. From 2000 - 2001, 18 months after recovering from ACL surgery before I asked myself why I was doing this again. Next streak planned for 2004-2005, 52-weeks straight - again I think beer was involved in the planning.Skier: Mike Scherer
Consecutive months streak: 325Home: Colorado!View full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I was living in California and heard there was going to be heavy snowfall at Tahoe in October (1985), which was crazy-early.Skier: Paul Smith
Consecutive months streak: 103 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: While skiing with the Washington ski touring club I met a skier with 100 months under his belt. This planted the seed that has grown to my current streak. Sometimes I'll just think of summer trips as hiking with skis.Skier: Matt Stouder
Consecutive months streak: 83Home: OregonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: Snowboarding has long been a passion of mine. Like most, I started out riding the lifts, but always wanted more when the season ended. This led to an endless search for that last "patch" of snow, which took me to the high volcanoes of the Oregon Cascades. The thought of riding each month out of the year and starting a "streak" hadn't occurred to me before, but after visiting the turns-all-year website for information on trips and routes, I decided it would be a good time. Now I'm hooked and each month brings new adventure.Skier: Skip Swenson
Consecutive months streak: 120Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: About 6 months after moving to Seattle in late 2000, I met and occasionally skied with two TAY posters with rather impressive streaks: Ron J and Mad Dog. Despite their cool-factor, I skied just 8-9 months a year for the first couple of years without much thought of extending beyond that. At one point, Jeanette suggested I post a trip I had made to Adams on TAY, the first I had heard of it, but I didn't follow-up. Then a couple of years ago something triggered the idea that having an endless season was something I needed to pursue; I set 12 months as a goal, just to do it. So it began. I've noticed that somewhere between then and now monthly turns became less a goal and more simply what I enjoy doing. If nothing else, it's added motivation to continually get up high. Add to the equation that there's little I'd rather do than ski, and even late summer's bulletproof suncups, rocks, and dirt somehow provide a good time.Skier: Tom Szwedko
Consecutive months streak: 394Home: ColoradoView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: While living in Central PA in the 70's there was a lot of good snow and I started to really get into doing a lot of skiing, including late season skiing for back there especially in Adirondacs. In 1976 Kodak started the Medals for miles program to promote their sponsorship of XC at the Olympics. You kept a log of date/where and distance and got pins and badges based on milage. During winter of '79 that started great it turned so dry that they almost canceled the Lake Placid Olympics. I told my boss if it does not snow soon I'm moving to where it does. March 1980 I moved to Colo and found that I could ski some all year now. My amount of skiing kept increasing.Skier: Kim Teot
Consecutive months streak: 240Home: ColoradoView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I was inspired in 1992 to ski 60 months, b/c our friend had completed this much. Passed 60 months with my husband. He said keep going until 10 years, past that mark and have now skied 179 months continuous.Skier: Bob Wiebe
Consecutive months streak: 78 (retired)Home: British ColumbiaView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: I have been backcountry skiing for over 20 years.However, apart from doing the odd summer X-C ski daytrip to Mt.Baker, I had never really considered making it an all year hobby until 2004.The winter of 03/04 was probably my most satisfying "ski season" ever because I had pushed my limits in spite of an aging body.At 53 I am doing things on skis that I would never have considered at 43. In the spring I met up with Mark Harfenist (a regular submitter to this site) and he mentioned rather casually that he did not let the season prevent him from skiing. I thought, "Ya, right! Why should I stop doing something that I enjoy and is a big part of my persona?" The idea really intrigued me. Not only would I be a telemarker (a rather finite species), but a telemarker who does it all year. Twenty years ago I met a fellow, who I believe was one of the first owners of Coast Mountain Sports in Vancouver. I remember him saying that he skied all year and thinking that was someone who I could feel comfortable buying stuff from.A lot has changed since then, but I still think that it is pretty cool to be able to say that I have skied every month of the year.Skier: Silas Wild
Consecutive months streak: 280Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: During the big snow summer of 1998, I skiied July 31-Aug 1 weekend in the North Cascades with a guy who said "well this is my 60th (or some big number like that) consecutive month of skiing" so I decided to try for the full year. It was easy that year, but this year has been more challenging.Skier: Jonathan Wong
Consecutive months streak: 58 (retired)Home: British ColumbiaView full profileHow I got started skiing year-round: In the 1998-99 season we had a tremendous snow-pack in the South Coast Mountains and, having dabbled in some June and July skiing in previous years, I decided to keep going for amusement. Having completed the first 12 months, I thought it would be great fun to keep going the next year. By the third continuous season, however, the whole scheme was starting to get rather stressful. I would spend the entire months of July, August and September phoning everyone I know asking if they wanted to go skiing.
Since a lot of people (even in this enlightened age) tend to stop skiing when the lift areas shut down in May, it was really hard to find ski partners. I would gain a momentary respite when I'd completed, say, August, and then would be faced with going through the same anxious procedure again for September. Somehow I made it through the third season and went merrily into the 4th. I think it was during that season I found out that, with our weird new warm climate, it might not snow in October, either. The prospect of a sport surface built on old rock hard snowfields that had not seen new snow since early May was pretty frightening but I managed to stay the course.
Finally, in year 5, having gone through yet another summer of hopeless phone calls, e-mailing, and the sacrifice of leather telemark boots to pagan snow deities, I was faced with the tandem shut-down of two local 4wd roads which access late/early season ski areas. Unbowed by the fact that the provincial government was apparently going to stop my streak, I made one final brazen trip hiking for hours into the Helm Meadows area near Black Tusk to get a couple of miserable 500 foot runs near the toe of the Helm Glacier. The 1:25 ski/walk ratio was just too much. I did the math and, at a mere 58 months....I was done.
Of course, I was just skiing up near Mount Cheam on the weekend and, having started in October this year, I started thinking....No. I'm not going there.Skier: Jerry Amendola
Consecutive months streak: 240Home: ColoradoView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: My first day skiing in the summer was in 1968, off of Trail Ridge road in Rocky Mountain National Park. Over the years I spoke of that day with my friends more than any lift served day. It seemed natural to ski all year after Ricky Liberelli got me going on my randonee equipment in the summer of 1992.Skier: Amar Andalkar
Consecutive months streak: 131Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: After I started backcountry skiing in June 1996 (initially carrying downhill skis/boots), I bought alpine-touring gear in October 1996 and then skied the deep early-season snowpack late that month from Paradise to Camp Muir. Skied the next 12 months straight, including a memorable September 1997 trip following a big late-summer snowstorm (probably the best September skiing until 2004).Skier: Sam Avaiusini
Consecutive months streak: 209Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: One might think May of 1995 is an odd month to have started a fiasco such as this, but I have a good reason... At the end of Feb. '95 I was involved in a car/bike accident. Guess what? I lost. Otherwise this streak would have begun in October of 1994. I guess my good friend Bill Frans sucked me into the ski-all-year thing; he's probably got me beat by at least a year. For us, it just sort of evolved out of our mountaineering endeavours.Skier: Jim Becia
Consecutive months streak: 96 (retired), 97Home: ColoradoView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: The summer of '95, Arapahoe Basin had lift served skiing into August. Being the consummate downhill skier that I am, I hadn't missed a month starting from the previous November. Knowing that the lifts in Colorado would begin running again in October (Loveland or Keystone), my TAYR skiing partner, Dan Ruedy and I figured we should try to get at least one consecutive year of skiing in every month in Colorado. So, in September of '95, we hiked up St. Mary's and skied a run. In spite of injuries, illness, and dry summers (the worst), we have managed to keep the streak going for seven years. We haven't had to venture out of state yet, but to keep the streak alive, we have been considering a Pac NW or southern hemisphere trip if needed.Skier: Corey Bloom
Consecutive months streak: 30 (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profile and photoHow I got started skiing year-round: After skiing 9-10 months for a few years, I realized that I could do it and inspired by the amazing streaks of some others I figured I probably should.Skier: Andrew Carey
Consecutive months streak: 104 (-1) (retired)Home: WashingtonView full profileHow I got started skiing year-round: I started skiing after I saw a slide show by an Oregon biologist who was using skis to survey for great gray owls in the open Ponderosa pine woodlands of the Blue Mountains. The sense of solitude and beauty the photographs portrayed of lone ski tracks in freshly fallen snow under a clear moon-lit sky was compelling. I bought a used pair of Karhu XCD GTs and Asolo Snowfield boots and started backcountry skiing. Early on, I thought bc skiing was primarily a late winter-early spring sport. But skiing was what, in part, brought Regine and I together. She was a better skier than me and soon I was forced to get better at cross-country downhill (by any means). Her friends were experienced telemarkers. My first trip with the group down the Nisqually Glaciers (3,000 vf of continous falls for me) convinced me I needed 'real' telemark gear. Telemarking moved from a frustration to a passion. Then, 5 years ago we had some early snow at Mt. Rainier and I headed out to ski. Skiing became, at a minimum, a weekly pursuit that continued year round until last November, when we took a 6-week trip to Mexico and Belize. We took our skis in hope of getting some turns on Pico de Orizaba outside Mexico City but, alas, our timing was impropritious. The streak was momentarily broken but in my mind and spirit continues as 60 (-1) months.

Original photos by Ron Jarvis and Jeanette Morrison
Thanks to Andy Palunas, Ron Jarvis, and Jeanette Morrison for suggestions.